Rail-joint.



S. JAMES.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLIG 11111111111111111111 2.

S. JAMES.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED PEB.15,1912.

Patented A111223, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

COLUMBIA PLANoaRAFH a.. WASHINGTON. D. c.

STEPHEN JAMES, OF YOUNGSTOWN, OI-IIO.

RAIL-JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 23, lllll.

Application led February 15, 1912. Serial No. 677,874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, STEPHEN JAMES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Youngstown, in the county of Mahoning and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail- Joints, of .which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the subject of rail-joints and mo're particularly to that type which provides a rail-supporting base throughout the length of the joint, while at the same time dispensing with the use of the usual joint-bolts.

To this end the invention contemplates a simple and practical construction of railjoint which does not require t-he use of any bolts through the webs of the rail-ends, and which is so constructed as'to be readily applied and removed, and held in operative relation to the rail-ends entirely by means of the spikes which engage the j oint-members and are driven into the ties.

A further and special object of the invention is to provide a novel scarf-joint between the separate joint-members that secures great rigidity and stilifness for the joint at the vertical transverse center thereof, thus materially reinforcing the joint at its weakest part, namely, at the center. In this connection the scarf-joint is of such formation as to provide practically a continuous rail-supporting base for both rails, which rail-supporting base crosses the joint between the rail-ends at the bottom. Also the improved rail-joint is of such design as to uniformly distribute the pressure of the load imposed thereon at the head of the rails.

lith these and other objects in view, which will be readily apparent to those familiar wit-h railway-track construction, the invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated and claimed.

The essential features of the invention are susceptible to structural modification withoutdeparting from the spirit or scope thereof, but a preferred embodiment is shown in the accompanying drawings, in whicha Figure l is a side elevation of a rail-joint constructed in accordance with the pres-ent invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view at the center of the joint, taken on the section line 2 2 of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view on the line 3 3 of Fig. l. Fig. 4- is a perspective view of the complete joint, that is to say, of the separate duplicate oint-members, showing such members slightly separat-ed to expose the elements of the scarf-joint. Fig. 5 1s a bottom plan view of the joint, including the rails, and showing the various parts slightly separated.

Like references designate the same parts in all the figures of the drawings.

The improved joint includes in its organization, in combination with the rail-ends R, R, to be united, the separate duplicate joint-members, l, l, which are applied to the rails without the use of joint-bolts, and are jointed or united to each other by a separable scarf-joint possessing the structural features and characteristics to be presently referred to. Each of the said joint-members l is adapted to be securely spiked to the tie thereunder by means of the ordinary spikes engaging spiking notches 2, provided in opposite edges of the member, and referring to the detailed construction of the said joint-members, it will be observed that the body of each of the same essentially consists of an integra-l rail-chair including a railsupporting base-plate 3, and opposite duplicate side angle-bar portions -l litting in the fishing spaces of the rails. These angle-bar portions l of each joint-member consist of vupright sections 5 fitting against the webs of the rails and under the heads thereof, and outwardly extending inclined footflanges 6, which are formed integrally with the upright sections 5 and with the side edge portions of the base-plate 3, and which foot-flanges overlie and rest upon the upper sides of the flanges of the rails. To provide for the novel scarf-joint between the separate members l, l, thereof, eachI of said members has one of its uprightsections cut away at its under side at an oblique angle, as at 7, to form a wedge-shaped jointtongue 8, that has a continuous bearing at its upper edge beneath the heads of the rails, and also crosses the joint between the ends of the rails. The lower inclined, or oblique edge 7 of the said joint-tongue 8, has a direct solid bearing upon the inclined bearing seat 9 on the adjoining upright section 5 of the other joint-member. This inclined bearing seat 9 is formed on one of the side angle-bar portions 4 of each joint member by cutting away a port-ion of one of the upright sections 5 of such member at its upper side, and the inclining seat 9, thus provided, is continued over the inner end of the foot-flange 6 at one side of each joint member to provide a projecting beveled tenon 10 that tits in a correspondingly beveled or wedgeshaped mortise 11, provided at the inner end of the complemental flange 6 of the other joint member, all of which may be plainly seen from Fig. 1 of the drawings. It will be observed that the wedge-shaped mortises 11 are continued directly into the lower inclined edges of the wedge-shaped joint-tongues 8.

In addition to the elements above mentioned, the rail-supporting base-plate 3 of each joint-member is cut away at its inner end, at one side of the longitudinal center of the member, as at 12, to receive therein a complemental base-plate extension 13 of the other member. tensions 13 overlap the joint between the meeting ends of the rails and lie in close side-by-side relation, thus producing, in

` eect, a continuous rail-supporting baseplate for the joint. Adjacent the intertting tenons and mortises 10 and 11 each joint-member is provided at the base of the tenon 10 with an abutment shoulder 14 that solidly abuts -against an edge of the baseplate 3 of the oppositejoint-member.

From the construction described it will be obvious that the wedging effect of the tongues 8 beneath the rail-heads, and that of the tenons 10 within the mortises 11, and the crossing of the various joint elements past the vertical transverse center of the joint secures great rigidity and stiness, materially reinforces the joint, and enables it to perform eiiective railsupporting functions without the use of j oint-bolts.

These two base-plate eX- I claim,-

1. A boltless rail-joint comprising, in combination with the rails, a pair of duplicate joint-members, each of which consists of a rail-chair having opposite side anglebar portions, one of which is provided with an inclined bearing seat and a projecting beveled tenon at the lower end of said seat, and the other of which side angle-bar portions is cut away at its under side at an oblique angle to form an extended wedgeshaped joint-tongue overlying said seat of the other joint-member, and with a wedgeshaped mortise that receives the said tenon of the other joint-member.

2. A boltless rail-joint, comprising, in combination with the rails, a pair of duplicate joint-members, each of which consists of a rail chair having a rail-supporting base-plate provided at its inner end with a base-plate extension overlappingthe joint between the meeting ends of the rails, said chair also having opposite side angle-bar portions, one of which is provided along its upper edge with an inclined bearing seat and a projecting beveled tenon at the lower end of said seat, and the other of which side angle-bar portions is cut away at its under side to form an extended wedge-shaped jointt0ngue fitting beneath the rail-heads and overlying said seat of the other joint member, and with a wedge-shaped mortise that receives the said tenon oi the other joint-member.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiX my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

STEPHEN JAMEs.

Vitnesses:

AGNES A. JoHNsToN, ALFRED LIEBMAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

